Hopupland

HOPUPLAND

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THIS MONTHS’ COVER

Oh yeah. Photo by Marc D’ Estout (D’ STU), who is the Art Director of this Publishing Empire. He says of the photo:

“Morty,
Back late last night… absolutely beat… in a good way. Leave first thing tomorrow morning for Monterey to show an Alfa SS at Concorso. 
Then off to wedding in Santa Barbara. Back to work next week.
BUT, thought I’d better send this pic off to you ASAP in case yer jonezin for a little victory proof!  I took this out at about mile 4, right after the 120 mph run on gas and just before we hooked up to the truck for the ride back to Impound. It WAS bitchin.  Wish I had had the camera out when they were all jumpin and huggin and screaming, but I couldn’t cause I was getting hugged too (I think Hollywood likes me).
More later.
Marc”

 

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HOP UP VOLUME VIII

Send a stinkin’ $17.75 to:

Hop Up
PO 790
Riverside, Ca. 92502

(US 50 only - See Links for offshore vendors)

 

AND NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HOP UP SPECIAL NO.2
$7.00 + $2 s & h = $9.00 to:

Hop Up
Special No.2
PO 790
Riverside, Ca. 92502

or click on SPEEDSHOP, select Spec 2 and use Paypal.

 

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BONNEVILLE AND 100 MPH CLUB BANG-QUET

*Rationalize:
to create an excuse or more attractive explanation for the problem.

THE CHAMPEEN KICKS IT OFF

MARC HANDS OUT THE CHONIES

This year there was somethin’ like 8 more guys and gals inducted in to the Hop Up Magazine 100 MPH CLUB, including about the entire membership of The Immortals. For 100 MPH Club honors, ya gotta run over 100 MPH in a flathead four rig and have a timing tag to show for it. Some cats put graveyard motors in old race cars and get it; some build or buy new cars to get it. Sometimes the Salt Gods don’t let ya have it no matter what ya do. Everybody still gets brew and brats and the Bang-quet so it looks like everybody wins, then.

Key is here, it ain’t that big a deal. See, it was intended to be fun when we ran against ourselveswith no flathead class, thus no trophy, no record. RECORD ENVY exists alright… but it’s still played for fun and we can tell ya for sure…it don’t matter who gets the trophy: it’s more about the chonies, and about the 24 people who have got ‘em already.

It’s further kinda cool to see how many 200 MPH Club guys (Hop Up started that, too) and even a 300 MPH guy…have descended in to our world…just for fun. It must be a relief to do it for…kicks. ....and the chicken-shit T Shirt!!!

Hmmm: maybe time for a 100 MPH Club Appreciation Run?

Flathead four entries were up to about 10 or 12 cars in various classes and that warms us up right nicely, bein’ that it was us who promoted the concept, bragged about, propped and pictured anybody who had a banger car getting ready for the Salt Flats.

Now, it’s worth pointin’ out this year, though, that Mild Mitch Allen is the record holder for V4F/GMR and V4F/FMR classes now…incidental to his having a ton o’ fun at Speedweek .....with the support of his crew Hollywood Joe, Tugboat, Jim, Mark ‘Big’ Johnson, Oddfather, Jivebomber,  Randy Gribble, Tom Huber, their ladies and other Dakotans and other generous, helpful fun-seekers. Oh yeah..we didn’t even mention this last year,  but what Mitch drove was the Hop Up Racing Team #1243 V4F/GMR, prepared by one Bert Griffin (see ‘Bert’s Friendly Auto Service’, below).

 

BANG-QUET HONORED THE BEAN FOR GOING WAY OVER 100

KLESSIG, FOREMAN UP FRONT AT 100 MPH CLUB BANG-QUET

THE FOUR SHOTS ABOVE ARE FROM TED BOWEN

ROLLIN’ BONES ARE FORDING A RIVER.

(BONNEVILLE TESTIMONIALS IN DRIP PAN THIS MONTH)

 

REED WAS THERE FOR RECREATION

T.O.H.R.J. TRIBUTE KEEPS ON ROCKIN’

MARK FROM HOT ROD SURF RAN SCOOTER, GOT RECORD

TUGBOAT TUNES ‘ER

BONER GOT SLIMED

THREE EVIL COUSINS ARRIVE TO
BRAZENLY STEAL THEIR HOP DOGS…
EEEEK! AWWWWWWWW! BOOOOO! HISSSSS!

While they were in town, the Boners ran low 120’s all week, got in lots of runs, got Kim Vincent in the car (a GIRL!!!).
And now, we can’t swear to this, but we heard that when she got out of the car she said..

.....................“Well, yeah, that was OK, but it ain’t no BANGER!”

That’s just what we heard!!!???????

Keith and Ken later both took rides in hotties over at Cameltoe Racing, too. Whoa.

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GO TO ‘DRIP PAN’ FOR BONER KEN’S COMMENTS

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MARK ‘BIG’ JOHNSON TOOK THESE; YEAH, THAT’S 120...

Another example of esprit de hopup? Get this: After Mitch ran the record runs, our Pals from the LA Roadsters (no, no, no: The Lake Area Roadsters from the DAKOTAS) conceived, inspired, paid for the entry and RAN the Hop Up Racing Team as 1249…and Mitch got them the FUEL record. HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

SWITCHING TO FUEL…WITH TAPE!

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LOOK IN DRIP PAN FOR HOLLYWOOD JOE’S BONNEVILLE RACING STORY>

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HOP UP TOP 100 FAVORITE HOT ROD HUMANS INCLUDES THIS GUY

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“This killin’ time is killin’ me…”
CB .......................(Clint Black)

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“Well, the Rock Island line she’s a mighty good road,
Rock Island Line is the road the ride
Gotta ride it like ya find it., getcha ticket at the station
on the Rock Island Line..”
Lonnie Donnigan

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FIVE ON FIVE AND A HALF

We actually think there is a line. A demarcation. Separation. If you get five on five and a half..yer in. And if you’re in, you can jump to the next section, don’t gotta read any more of this note. If not…here’s the way I see it. Old Ford bolt patterns are the rule here and - even tho we got some iron that slipped in to some thing else (late Ford vs. early Ford) well, Ma Man, we always thought that if everything ya got was 5 on 5 1/2, then you could exchange wheel/tire sets, you’d always have rolllers for a project, trade ‘em between cars ya got and…see? No confusion. Fleet mentality.

But by now it’s more than that. If you’re all about Early Ford Bolt Pattern, you are….from then. I wanna be from then. It’s simple. I’m simple. Hot rods are supposed to be simple, and that obscure credo gives me the comfort that I’m grounded in tradition. Truth. I kinda like the fact that you can’t get ‘em in disc conversion hubs anymore. Ya could when I first tried disc brakes…but it got away.

So it’s chauvinistic - voluntarily sacrificial - that I and a few others stick to it but…we thrive on the hardship like wigglin’ that loose tooth when you were a kid..it hurts so gooood.
If we were any more reasonable we’d have more modern cars any fuckin’ way and this is what we do and some of us do it stubbornly the old way. I think we’ll print up some FIVE ON FIVE AND A HALF T shirts. ‘Wonder what the minimum order quantity is….?

Yeah, Buddy.

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“Every night about two my love for you comes stumbling down…..”

The Ikettes

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COLLECTOR BOX OF HOP UP VOLUMES I-V

Uh-huh. A limited quantity were held back each year and some mugs who were busy tending to their cuffs in the ‘early’ years missed ‘em. Here ya go;
$179.95. It’ll have the five books and a trinket or two, it’ll be collectible due to its’ limited edition, and it’ll be the most truth you can cram in to a package this size…guaranteed.

Empty slipcases will be available to you forward-thinking, un-kultured, and vested hot rod daddieos ....who already got ‘em.

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If I could only put myself in your shoes?
I’d walk right back to me…...(HAHA!!! Ed.)
Clint Black
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SAVANT IN TRAINING

Now..who, really, is this? Is the kid just a flash in the pan or will he hook up all the car nerve endings and become somebody substantive in the world of hot rods and veritas.  What say we analyze that fleet he’s got rat-holed on that table and see what psychological maladies the combination predicts. Comments? Anybody know who the runt is?

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BERT’S FRIENDLY AUTO SERVICE

Yup, this here is where you take stuff to get fixed up real nice. You’ll notice the little pumpkin-colored racer got in there for some attention, and that black bitch is Bert’s own racer..a show car if we ever saw one, it is. And that Model A RPU is his tour car..as in touring Australia and Europe and like that thar. HA!

Up on the lift is Mark Griffin’s tudor, which Bert gave a ‘tune-up’ after they found it…not quite done but stored in a garage since the 60’s. Nailhead, upholstered, ready to go. Bert breezed through it in a couple days. One of the next ones is a Cushman not unlike the one Bert ran in to a ‘36 Sedan sometime in the 50’s. He’ll behave better with the new one, we’ll bet.

Work here is pretty cheap, too, but don’t get confused with the ‘regulars’ who frequent the joint. See, Bert spends a lot of time with them…. blottin’ drool..an’ all. He doesn’t charge us for the time spent on this charity work of his so it’s ....a fair deal.

So we just show up, pay our bill and shove................

(Thanks, Bert)

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..gotta keep cool, now gotta take care…

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DON MONTGOMERY WRITES:

Hi Mark
Re: Hop Up -  August 2007
I saw the pictures you showed from Skip Bailey and the mention of Gene LeBlanc.
In 1952 I traveled to Fresno with some of the Bakersfield guys to run at the Fresno drags. Gene LeBlanc came down that day with a severely modified ‘34 coupe. We were both running Howard Cams stuff and had good conversations that day. I took several photos of the coupe including one with Gene standing proudly by the door.
In fact I used several pictures of it in my latest book - “Old Hot Rods Scrapbook”.
Back then many drag cars were quickly assembled with available parts at a very low cost. We were just having fun.
I just wanted to say that I remembered that day at Fresno and Gene.
Best regards -  Don.

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Is the fucking you’re getting worth the fucking you’re getting?

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PAC NW

A teaser. We mentioned Alan Darr last month, one of our hosts on the DIVINGROD TOUR leg that went from Couer ‘d Alene to San Juan Capistrano. This tease shot is the ol’ tip o’ the iceberg and we hear from Steve (Jimmy Olsen) Lemmons that we might be able to get back in and do the thing up right for a future annual or Special. (Be ready for lotsa detail shots! Ed.)

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“When I hear that lonesome whistle…
I hang my head and cry…”

John.

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UK HOTROD HAYRIDE

Jez Hoye went to the Hayride and we’d-a sure like to been on this one, too. Bangers (don’t they call sandwixches that there?) and painted cars and oval track crs and hell-far.

Pay particular attention to the red coupe bein’ worked on at the bottom: we’ll have a history of it’s foundings in the Pac NW and ultimate arrival in the UK in to Jez’ hands…in Hop Up Volume IX..on-time for delivery in January.

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WHY NOT LOOK IN DRIP PAN FOR MORE STUFF.